Sergei Gradirovskij

Center of Strategy Investigations, Privoljsk federal okrug, Nizhni Novgorod, Russia

Russian Islam as a cultural frontier

Sources of the phenomenon. The question is about the religious-cultural frontier, whose origin was evoked not so much by the “catastrophic” rebuilding of the social-economic structure, but, firstly, by the fall of the grand development system of the Eurasian world, which was realized by Moscow within the limits of total industrialization; secondly, by the change of demographic model of all European peoples of the former empire; and thirdly, by the domination in post-Soviet space of two types of mass human trends: the so-called “western drift” and the “southern antrotrend”.

A collision of identities is a reality in a globalizing world in which the geocultural pressure from both from North and South give rise to enormous mutual mistrust. A secularized North, which produces fewer children, fears a traditionally religious South, which produces far more children and is much more successful in reproducing its identities. In this atmosphere of fear, suspicion and silence exists the frontier phenomenon of “Russian Islam”, which has taken shape in the past ten years.

Forms of the phenomenon. We can identify five aspects: the mass conversion to the Russian languages in urban mosques; the publishing of books in Russian; the acceptance of state standards of Islamic theology and the development of educational processes predominantly in Russian; the appearance of Islamic mass media in the Russian language, which are included in the process of “civilized” resistance in informational space; and the appearance of intellectual Muslim communities that think and talk in the Russian language.

First, the phenomenon figuratively called “Russian Islam” is an event occurring at juncture of Islamic and Russian cultures, which includes cultural thinking since thought is realized in language. In turn, the type of thinking defines the developmental strategies of social systems. It is clear that we are talking about a frontier phenomenon, which indicates the potential for creativity.

Second, the investigated phenomenon is urban. We are witnesses of the growth of a new cultural phenomenon, which can and must be suitable to the modern World City and is multistructural, multicultural, dynamically developing and aims to increase the standard of life.

Third, Russian has already become the language of communication, but this phenomenon will finally take shape when the status of the language of communication will change to the status of the language of identity. This does not necessarily mean assimilation, but the availability of accultural and procultural processes that are important in the creation of a united cultural and political space for Russian Federation.

Finally, the Russian World possesses an Islamic segment that inevitably will grow and strengthen. In the immediate future, the character of the process of new structuralization of Russian World will be important and heterogeneity will increase.

Thus, Russian Islam is phenomenon that belongs both to Islam and to Russian culture and includes political culture. Effort and good will are necessary for cultural contact to develop as a dialogue rather than resistance.